


Connection forged

by Lacertae



Category: Wander Over Yonder
Genre: Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-06 02:46:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8731828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lacertae/pseuds/Lacertae
Summary: *future Peepers/Wander* It started with Wander realising how little he knows of Peepers, too little to be able to call them 'friends', and deciding he wants to change that. Then... it evolved further than that.slow-built collection of vignettes. will include a lot of the cast and also some minor background characters.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I have been hesitant about posting the first chapter (or is it better to call it prologue?) because i wasn't sure i would be able to continue this fic further, but posting it might make me feel more motivated about keeping this up, and i hope i will make others happy with this so!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! This collection of vignettes will contain both serious and funny themes and a lot of speculation, too.
> 
> Feel free to review and leave kudos if you like!

**Prologue - Interest**

 

Sneaking into Hater’s skullship was easy, and most of all, it was fun.

Wander was good at remembering which direction to go, even after all the renovations the ship went through every time part of it (or the whole thing) got destroyed in action, and after a year he’d turned into a pro.

He could point out where Hater’s bedroom was with little hassle, and no matter how many times it got rebuilt, the kitchens were always in the same place, so it helped. After a year, he never got lost anymore. On the plus side, it meant he was always on time to hit Hater’s snooze button without fail, on the other hand he missed catching up with the newer recruits. They were the ones who didn’t mind seeing him walk through the skullship, and most of them didn’t even shoot at him. That made it easier to chat up with them.

Wander pressed his hand against the edge of the skullship’s exterior and slipped inside the ventilation ducts, sealing the opening again behind him, and stretched his back with a soft pop; the whirring sound of the fans was a familiar sound, and the breeze tickled his fur, making him giggle to himself.

Hater was drooling onto his pillow when Wander slipped inside his bedroom, one arm dangling out of the blanket. He was a heavy sleeper, and Wander could have been as loud as he wanted, but of course he would never –that would be impolite. With his tongue peeking out of his lips in concentration, Wander tiptoed past Captain Tim, grateful that the arachnomorph recognised his scent and did not wake up anymore to play.

Quickly, Wander hit the snooze button. A loud snore from the sleeping bundle on the bed was Hater’s only reaction.

Wander paused to look at him, feeling sad that he could not engage him in some morning banter. He had tried that once, but it had been disappointing –Hater before his morning coffee and shower was like talking to a wall, and only half as entertaining.

Ever since Dominator’s defeat, things had been somehow hectic.

The galaxy, despite how quickly it was healing on its own, had a long way to go before it returned to how it had been before. Many planets were still barren or had been destroyed by Dominator in her quest for Volcanium X, and many had been abandoned to run from her. The general state of disarray meant Wander had been travelling back and forth to offer his help everywhere, from planets he had already visited to new ones.

Because of that, Wander had seen less and less of Hater and his crew in the past months, too busy helping and travelling. He’d had to cut down on his visits, limiting himself to once a week instead of his daily trips, and it had left Wander feeling somewhat forlorn. It was always sad to see a growing distance between friends, but helping the galaxy heal was a higher priority, and Wander did not regret all the work he and Sylvia were doing.

To a lesser degree, even Hater was helping, albeit grudgingly.

The news of Hater’s role in the demise of Dominator had spread quickly across the galaxy, and there had been a shift in the way most people looked at him. Many still feared him, but more and more people felt something different, and Wander had heard a lot of people praise Hater for defeating the evil Dominator.

So, it was no wonder that a lot of planets felt they were safer under his control instead of someone else’s, and had willingly accepted and even requested to fall under Lord Hater’s empire. It filled Wander with a mix of amusement and fondness.

Of course Hater still made excuses –he refused to rule over a galaxy so battered and ruined by someone else, or at least that was what he screamed whenever he was asked about it (“So what? It’s not so great to rule over the ruins someone else left behind, after all! I’m the greatest, and I deserve the best!”), but Wander knew better.

It was just a matter of time, Hater was finally coming along.

Still, seeing so little of his friend in this delicate time made Wander sad. Oh, he _could_ find some time to visit more often, since Sylvia slept like the dead anyway, but… travelling by himself was not as fun anymore, not now that he’d grown so accustomed to Sylvia’s constant presence. It was an addictive feeling, he’d almost forgotten how it felt, to have someone by his side. Sylvia truly was one of the best things that had happened to him.

The last time he had travelled consistently with someone he could converse with (so, the hat did not count)… well, it was a long way back, way before meeting Jeff, and Wander felt way better focusing on being Wander, and what he was doing now. No bitter aftertaste.

Alas, having Sylvia around meant he could not move as he would by himself –it would do no good considering Sylvia took it upon herself to carry him around, and it would be a really poor show of friendship to admit he could do it faster on his own. Really, the fun wasn’t in how quickly you got where you wanted to go, but in the trip to there and back, and of course… the company.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Wander smiled and wriggled his way back into the vents.

His feet slipped a couple times as he hoisted himself up, but Hater kept on snoring and did not wake up, and Wander blew him a tiny goodbye kiss before closing the passage behind his back.

Next on the list was Peepers.

His hat felt heavier on his head, something pressing down at the base of his skull, and Wander stopped for a second, peeking into the depths of the hat to check that the bottle of glue was safe and would not slip out too soon. Time for another eight of an inch increase, or maybe he would do a _sixth_ of an inch this time, considering how long it would be until next time…

Peepers room was draped in darkness, and Wander had to wait a few seconds for his eyesight to adjust before he lowered himself down. Since the skullship kept getting damaged on a monthly basis, Peepers room was getting renovated almost constantly. Wander was kept on his toes every time he entered it, smacking into things or tripping every few steps. It was like a minefield, and it was fun. Hater liked things to be consistent so his private quarters never changed much, at most it was just trinkets being added here or there, but Peepers seemed to find it amusing to move everything around all the time.

This time the bed was on the left, its headboard set against the outer wall of the skullship, and there was a new drawer too.

Wander shuffled on the floor on all four, grabbing Peeper’s shoes and getting the glue out of his hat. He had to be quick, so he wouldn’t wake–

Light flickered on in the room, and a soft, whirring sound coming from the bed above him had Wander freeze in place.

He looked up slowly, eyes widening as he came face-to-face with the pointy end of a ray gun.

On the other end was Peepers, sitting up in his bed and looking down at him with the kind of satisfied, pleased expression of a predator who had just cornered his prey.

“I _knew_ it was you”.

Wander’s lips twitched upwards in a grin. Peeper sounded so annoyed all the time, the little guy really needed a vacation on some nice SPA planet. Well, once those got rebuilt of course.

“Good morning to you Mr. Peepers!”

“Uuugh…” Peepers rubbed one hand down the front of his eye, heaving a deep sigh. “How are you so _happy_ this early in the morning?”

Perking up at the question, Wander shuffled and sat down on the floor, still holding one of Peeper’s shoes in his lap. “I woke up a while ago, actually! There’s a lot of places that have nice sunrises to watch and no one to watch them!”

Peepers stared him down, looking incredulous –as much as Wander could read on a face that was just a single eye. With such limitations, Peepers still managed to be really expressive.

“… never mind that,” straightening his back and tilting his ray gun as a reminder that he was, indeed, pointing it at Wander, Peepers shuffled to the edge of his bed. “I knew something was weird when I stopped…” he faltered for a second, a thousand unsaid words screeching to a halt as he refused to continue. The side of his pupil reddened in embarrassment. “Anyway. I knew it had to be _you_ , so I made sure to be awake just so I could catch you red-handed!”

“I didn’t do much–” Wander waved one of Peeper’s shoes, only to have it snatched out of his hand, Peepers darting forwards to secure it and the one on the floor.

“Give me that!”

“Now there’s no need to be that angry,” Wander crossed his legs, showing no fear despite the laser pointed to his head, and cracked his knuckles. On his head, the hat remained quiet and empty, reassuring him further that there was no danger. “I get that it’s been a while since I popped around to fix your shoes, but–”

“That’s not the point either! I just– uugh!” Peepers smacked himself in the eye again, apparently too angry for words, and Wander found himself giggling at the impressive series of muttered curses Peepers uttered as he tried to calm himself down. When he was done, he looked almost worn down as he looked down at Wander again. “Why?!”

Surprisingly, that was a question that hadn’t even occurred to Wander before. “Why not?” he idly shoved the glue back into the hat, not seeing a reason to keep holding on it now that Peepers had stolen the shoes away.

It was not a secret that Peepers had a… complex… about his height. With how much time Wander spent chatting it up with the Watchdogs, it was not surprising he knew about it. Peepers was shorter than the average Watchdog, and even though it was a sensitive subject, the rest of the crew had no problem talking about it whenever Peepers was not around to hear.

Why would it be surprising that Wander had thought to help the only way he could? There was no magic potion to help someone grow taller, so this was the next best solution.

So… why not?

“I thought it’d make you happy, Mr. Peepers!”

The predictable reaction was, of course, that Peepers flopped down on the bed and shoved a pillow into his eye, screaming into it for a few seconds. After that, he made no movement to look at Wander anymore, or even acknowledge his existence, so Wander amused himself with looking around the room, now that he had some light.

Between the bare walls –except for a couple ‘Lord Hater is the Greatest’ posters– and the monochrome bed, there wasn’t much to look at. Even the desk at one end of the room was bare of everything except paperwork and a couple books, and Wander blinked slowly, now observing the room with more interest.

Every time he had passed by Peeper’s room it was to make a quick touch-and-go switch of his shoes, because while it was fun to be chased around the skullship on most days, it wasn’t as fun when Sylvia wasn’t there too. He never paid attention to the room itself either, just to where he was going so he would not wake Peepers up… and in fact this was the first time he’d actually had a conversation with him. Or spoken more than a couple words, at best.

Peepers was still hiding his face in the pillow, so Wander felt it was safe to stand up and have a closer look around.

The desk was covered with paperwork –who knew the skullship had taxes on trash? Wander definitely hadn’t known– and the books stacked in a corner were depressingly boring. One was a book on war strategies, the other was about weapons. Nothing that seemed personal, just… stuff.

With a small frown, Wander tried to recall how much he knew about Peepers, and came up with a list of things that could be counted on a single hand. He knew Peepers was smart, and that he had a complex about his height, and he was a quick-thinker and really loyal to Hater, but… there was nothing personal that Wander knew about him.

He had known him for over a year, how could that be? That would not do, especially since he was devoting so much attention to Hater and getting to know _him_ , and Peepers was Hater’s best friend and second in command!

“I know _nothing_ about you!”

That seemed to finally catch Peepers’ attention, as he shoved the pillow off his eye and sat up on the mattress, a look of disappointment flashing on his face as he realised that Wander was still in the room.

“I hoped that you’d be gone if I just wished it hard enough,” he grumbled.

Wander had the ability to sap out all his energy, and since he hadn’t slept much during the night in order to catch Wander, there wasn’t much energy to begin with. Especially since, well, Peepers hadn’t known for sure when Wander would pop by, so this was not the first night he’d kept post.

Life post Dominator had been… busy did not even begin to describe it.

Despite how the galaxy had somehow righted itself back up, there was still a lot to do, and Peepers and Hater had to admit that there was little interest to conquer a place that was already defeated and weary. Lord Hater, most of all, thought it would be no fun, and even Peepers, who liked things to behave with as little hassle as possible, found the idea of ruling over a crumbling galaxy less than enticing.

As he had said once before, Dominator had no right to come into _his_ galaxy to ruin it. There were limits not even a good Bad Guy had to overstep, and Dominator had overstepped them all. Twice.

A lot of planets expected Lord Hater to do his best to fix stuff since they were under his ruling, and more and more of them seemed to appear every day, where others just seemed to be swept by the tide of admirers Hater had gained after the stunt with Dominator.

Peepers had found himself grudgingly starting to do a lot of reconstruction work and overseeing protection for all these planets and more, checking which of the other bad guys was going to try and steal planets from under their rule, make sure their portion of the galaxy was fixed up and then extend a limited amount of help towards other places that Hater would soon conquer, just because.

It was not an easy job.

There was a lot of work to be done so they could rebuild their future empire, though Peepers had started questioning the effectiveness of their methods after a while.

There was little fear to be seen in the eyes of people they’d conquered before, now. It made him uncertain as to what would happen afterwards, but Peepers had pushed that thought away to be dealt with at a later time.

They would all reconsider, once the galaxy was running as it should again –and then Lord Hater would sweep past and conquer everything.

So much work also meant seeing less and less of the wandering weirdo and his trusted Zbornak steed, and Peepers had honestly enjoyed that part the most. Wander was pure, benign chaos, the kind that went against everything Peepers stood for, and with everything going on, it was a blessing in disguise that Wander himself had been so busy helping others that he had never had much time to spend tracking Hater down to ‘play’ with him.

In short, having Wander really in his bedroom was hell and Peepers did not have that much energy to even get up and chase Wander off the ship.

“Well now that would be mean to leave without saying goodbye,” Wander chided him, turning around with a winning smile. “But I mean it! I know nothing about you! Not your favourite colour, nor your favourite food, or what chocolate flavour you like the most, or what you like to wear! Oh, oh, what about–”

“Then I’ll consider that a victory,” Peepers interrupted him before he could start spouting more nonsense. “What do I have to do to get you to leave?”

“A good guest never overstays their welcome!” Wander tugged off his hat, feeling it heavy on his head, and rummaged into it, wondering what it would give him. He stared down at  his hand with a perplexed frown, then his face lit up in recognition. “But first, this is for you!”

Before Peepers could react, Wander was already at his side, invading his personal space all of sudden and shoving something into his hands.

“What the–” Peepers glared down at the metallic can he was holding. No, it wasn’t just a can, it had a transmitter on one side, and it was open and empty on the other end, and… “Is that a–”

Wander took a few steps away from Peepers and brought another, identical can to his ear, then… “Ring ring,” Wander said, and much to Peepers’ annoyance, he heard his voice coming from the receiver in his hands, too. “Mr. Peepers, I decided it’s a waste if I get to know Hater but not you, considering you’re his best friend! Aren’t we supposed to be friends, too? What sort of bad person knows nothing about their friends?” Wander dramatically posed, still with the receiver up to his ear.

“I guess that would be you,” Peepers said, eye narrowed in distaste as he dropped the receiver on the bed, to be disposed of later. “Or you would be if we were friends to begin with,” he added, spite dripping from his tone.

“Yes, that would be me,” Wander sighed looking so put out that Peepers glanced around, unconsciously searching for the Zbornak. One could never be safe if Wander was sad. Of course she wasn’t there, and Peepers rolled his eye in contempt –he was too used to having those two around, and that was never a good thing. “But that doesn’t matter anymore, because I had the greatest idea! Well, the hat had it, but same thing!” Wander continued, perking up, and Peepers looked at him, unimpressed. “You keep _that_ , and I keep _this_ ,” he pointed at the two receivers, “and we can be like penpals, only it’s calls and not letters! I can call and ask you all sorts of questions, so I get to know you better! And of course Mr. Peepers, you can do the same!”

The words took a few seconds to get through Peeper’s tired brain, but once they did his eye grew wide, pupil shrunken down to the size of a pea. “Wait, what? No, wait a second I never agreed to it I’m going to incinerate this–”

“We’ll become the best of pals, so I can rectify this horrible, horrible oversight of not knowing anything about you! Hey, you can start right now by telling me your favourite colour!”

Deflating on the bed, exhausted and feeling dead to the world, Peepers stared at the ceiling of his bedroom in defeat. Would Wander go away if he answered? More to the point, would he forget entirely about the receivers if he pretended to accept long enough to get Wander to leave? The guy wasn’t known for his memory, except for, well, directions and knowing all the Watchdogs’ names and birthday dates, but for actually important things, he didn’t seem like the kind of guy who could remember it all.

“… purple,” he finally replied, deadpan. “It’s… purple”.

“Purple, what a beautiful colour! But is it all the purple shades or just a few? What about periwinkle? Wine? Raisin? Violet? Plum?” Wander bounced on his feet, looking so excited and happy to have such a stupid little thing answered that Peepers felt a migraine build in the back of his eye.

“All of those. Any! It’s not important! I answered, didn’t I?” he debated whether to throw a pillow at Wander’s face, then shuddered, his thoughts stumbling down the worst path until he could see, clear as a day, the entire crew having a pillow fight across the corridors and the halls of the skullship. No. No flarf-narblin’ way.

“Yes! You did!” Wander looked positively glowing, then he blinked and looked at the alarm clock near Peeper’s bed, and was startled to realise he had lost more time on the skullship than he had expected to. “Ring ring!”

Peepers dared to peek at the expectant Wander, then thought that going along would be less of a hassle, so he picked the receiver and kept his best blank face. “What”.

“It’s been nice chatting with you, Peepers, but now I have to go! Things to do, places to visit before Sylvia wakes up, so see you later!” he paused, looking down at the receiver, the smile on his lips still blinding as he wiggled his eyebrows. “Or well, call you later!”

Wander slipped out of the door of Peeper’s room with little noise, leaving him behind to rub his eye-temples and glare down at the receiver before dropping it into his trash bin without a second thought.

Sometimes, talking with Wander felt like entering the twilight zone.

“Wait,” Peepers looked up to the door, freezing. “Did he just drop the ‘mister’?”


End file.
